This is the first practice standard that the Project
Management Institute (PMI®) has developed to complement and elaborate
on the information contained in its de facto global standard for the
profession, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK® Guide) – 2000 Edition. It provides guidance and universal
principles for the initial generation, subsequent development, and
application of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Successful project
management uses planning techniques to define the project objectives
in sufficient detail to support effective management of the
project. The WBS provides the foundation for defining work as it
relates to project objectives and establishes the structure for
managing the work to its completion. Each descending level of a WBS
represents an increasingly detailed definition of the project work.
This PMI standard provides an introduction to the WBS concept, defines
the WBS and its characteristics, discusses the benefits of using a
WBS, and demonstrates how to build a WBS and determine if it is
sufficient for subsequent planning and control. A unique feature of
this handbook is the inclusion of 11 industry-specific WBS
examples. Constituting over half of the book, these examples aid the
reader in further understanding, creating, and using WBSs in the
following industries or applications:
-Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical (OGP)
-Environmental Management
-Process Improvement
-Pharmaceutical
-Process Plant Construction
-Service Industry Outsourcing
-Web Design
-Telecommunications
-Refinery Turnaround
-Government Design-Bid-Build
-Software Implementation
Examples are in different stages of completion and represent the
evolutionary development of a WBS. None of the examples should be
taken as the only right WBS for that type of project. This is the
first-of-its-kind Practice Standard from the world’s largest
professional association for project management. It will enable
project managers, project team leaders, contract personnel, and others
interested in managing any aspect of a project to prepare a useful and
high quality Work Breakdown Structure.